Apparatus for the equivalent and synchronous feeding of animals



July 1, 1969 R. MOLIMARD 3,452,716 APPARATUS FOR THE EQUIVALENT ANDSYNCHRONOUS FEEDING OF ANIMALS I Filed May 23, 1967 Sheet of s IAIVEIVTRZ/ROZM/I MaLIMA RD AM MLX- R. MOLlMARlD I 3,452,716

' July 1, 1969 APPARATUS FOR THE EQUIVALENT AND SYNCHRONOUS FEEDiNG OFANIMALS Sheet Filed May 23, 1967 Jnv o r, Ms M dLiMARD 80/471 40 -Sguy y1969 R. MOLIMARD 3,452,716

APPARATUS FOR THE EQUIVALENT AND SYNCHRONOUS FEEDING OF ANIMALS FiledMay 23, 1957 Sheet 3 of s JnvenIwr; R0661!" HQLIMAR AHOIMQY UnitedStates Patent 3,452,716 APPARATUS FOR THE EQUIVALENT AND SYNCHRONOUSFEEDING 0F ANIMALS Robert Molimard, Chevilly-Larue, France, assignor toLaboratories Jacques Logeais, Societe Anonyme, a French body corporateFiled May 23, 1967, Ser. No. 640,660 Claims priority, applicationFrance, May 27, 1966, 6 2 0 2 Int. Cl. A01k /02; 1865b 1/12 U.S. Cl.119-56 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention, inthe making of which Mr. R. Molimard participated, relates to apparatusesfor feeding animals and in particular laboratory animals.

The object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus whichsatisfies the two following conditions:

It must permit the simultaneous feeding of at least two animals.

It must ensure that these animals receive the same amount of food andconsume it at a practically identical rhythm (equivalent and synchronousfeeding), this amount and rhythm being determined by the animal whichconsumes the least.

These conditions are particularly important in pharmacological anddietetic experiments spread over a rather long period of time duringwhich the animals undergo various treatments, since it is necessary tolimit, and if possible eliminate, deviations in the results which arerelated to difierences in the food consumed by the animals.

For this purpose, the invention provides an apparatus for the equivalentand synchronous feeding of at least two animals which comprises at leasttwo separate compartments each of which is provided with a foodcontainer, a device for distributing aliments associated with each foodcontainer, and means for rendering all of said distributing devicesinoperative so long as one of the food containers remains provided withaliments.

This apparatus therefore ensures that the various animals consume thesame overall amount of aliments at roughly the same rhythm, this amountand this rhythm being determined by that one of the animals which at agiven moment or throughout the experiment consumes the least.

It must be understood that the apparatus is arranged so that the animalscan reach only the aliments placed in the food container.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, with parts cut away, of one embodiment of anapparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial elevational view and partial sectional view of theapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and2;

ice

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the end of the apparatus forming afood container in detail;

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of a modification of the distributingdevice;

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a modification of a device fordetecting the aliments contained in a food container; 4

FIG. 7 is a partial side sectional view of a modification of such adetecting device; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a possible assembly of the distributingdevices of an apparatus according to the invention associated with thedetecting device shown in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 1-4 show a first embodiment of an apparatus according to theinvention for the equivalent and synchronous feeding of two animals, inthe present instance two rats, placed respectively in the compartments 1and 1 Disposed in the walls 2 2 of these compartments are foodcontainers 3 3 constituted by apertures 4 4 formed in these walls and bythe ends of four guide bars 5 5 which are connected in pairs so as toform grids 5, 5 v

The bars 5 5 also constitute a storage enclosure for the aliments andare fixed at the end thereof remote from the compartments to plates 6*,6' provided with charging apertures 7 7 Disposed between the guide barsare aliments 8 which are in the form of cylindrical biscuits orcontained in cardboard tubes the biscuits or tubes constituting rigiddoses having a diameter slightly greater than the distance between twoadjacent guide bars.

A mechanism for feeding the aliments to the compartments 1 1 comprisespistons 9 9 which form plungers and are connected to plates I108, 10*.These plates are normally interconnected by a bolt 11 and a nut 12 orany other suitable means.

This mechanism further comprises a spiral spring 13 which actuates awinch 14 around which a cable 15 is wound. The latter passes around apulley 16 and is hooked at 17 to the plate 10.

The support plates 10 and 10 are supported by rolling bearings 18 18' onX-section guide rails 19 I19 The assembly of the distributing device isfixed on a plate 20 which is held inclined by wedge-shaped blocks 21, 22(FIG. 2).

Provided under eachfood container is a crumb collector 23 23 whichcommunicates with a recovery tray 24 24 The operation of this apparatuswill be described with reference to FIGS. 14.

With an animal placed in each compartment 1*, 1 and assuming that thedoses 8 are placed between the bars 5 and 5 the spiral spring 13 tendsto cause these doses to advance towards the compartments in acting byway of the winch 14, the cable 15 and the pistons 9 and 9 while therolling bearings 18 18 roll along the rails 19 19*. However, owing tothe fact that the diameter of these doses exceeds the distance betweenthe bars, it is sufficient that a biscuit of one of the rows of dosesabut the corresponding grid 5 or 5' for the iWhOlB of the movable unitto be blocked or rendered inoperative. This situation is illustrated inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in which the dose 8 is supplied to thefood container 3 whereas the dose 8 remains outside the compartment 1since the thrust mechanism has been blocked by the abutment of thebiscuit or tube 8 against the grid 5.

It will be understood that at the start of the experiment the samenumber of biscuits is introduced in each distributing device and thatthe situation just described only occurs in the course of theexperiment.

Thus it can be seen that the distribution of the aliments in therespective food container of each compartment only occurs when both foodcontainers must be provided with aliments. In this Way, at any moment inthe experiment, the maximum difference between the amounts of foodconsumed by the two animals cannot exceed one dose. Further, the crumbscollector 23 23 and the trays 24, 24 make it possible to determine theexact amount of food actually consumed by each animal.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the mechanism forfeeding the aliments to the compartments 1*, 1 1 comprises pistons 9 9 9which are integral with plates and stays 25. The assembly is actuated byat least one electric motor 26 which drives a lead-screw 27. The latterco-operates with a screwthread 28 formed in a member 29 secured to theplate 10. The end 30 of the lead-screw is rotatably mounted in a fixedmember 31 which can be the wall 2 of the compartments containing theanimals.

The operation of this device is of course identical to that of the firstembodiment, the motor 26 being blocked or rendered inoperative when thetorque for overcoming the resistance to the feeding of the aliments isexcessive. This is the situation when one of the biscuits abuts the gridof the corresponding food container.

FIG. 6 shows another actuating mechanism associaed with at detecting andcontrol device which is substituted for the simple mechanical abutmentemployed in the foregoing embodiments. This assembly relates to one foodcontainer and distributing device. It will be understood that similarmechanisms equip each feeding station and are connected in series.

The device shown in FIG. 6 is, like the device shown in FIG. 5, equippedwith an electric motor 26 driving a lead-screw 27 which co-operates witha screwthreaded member (not shown) integral with the piston 9. Placed atthe entrance of the food container 3 is a detecting device consisting ofa source of light 32, a photo-sensitive cell 33 which actuates, when itreceives the light, a contact 34 inserted in a conductor 35 feeding themotor. Similar devices of the other feeding stations can be connected inseries to the terminals 36.

The operation of this device is simple.

When a biscuit or other appropriate aliment is located in the foodcontainer 3 in the path of the beam of light emitted by the source 32the contact 34 is open and the motor 26 is not fed. On the other hand,as soon as the beam of light reaches the cell 33, the contact 34 isclosed and the motor 26 is fed, on condition of course that the contactsof the other feeding stations are also closed.

FIG. 7 shows a mechanical modification of the device detecting thealiments in the food container. This device comprises a sensing element37 connected to a contact 38. So long as the sensing element ismaintained in the illustrated upper position, the contact 38 is open andthe corresponding electric motor is not fed. As soon as the biscuit 8disappears, the sensing element descends and closes the contact 38 sothat the motor is fed.

For a plurality of feeding stations, the assembly is that shown in thediagram of FIG. 8 in which the motors 26, 26 26 are connected in seriesand in series with the corresponding contacts 38, 38*, 38 the motorsonly being fed if all the contacts are closed, that is, if all the foodcontainers are empty.

It will be understood that many modifications are possible, inparticular as concerns the distributing devices for supplying thealiments to the food containers. Indeed, it is possible to employ adriving means which is separate for each feeding station or a singledriving means. This driving means can be an electric motor or a spiralspring as mentioned hereinbefore. Alternatively, it can be a Sandow"type elastically yieldable device or a device employing the potentialenergy of a weight which acts through a pulley. It is also possible toemploy synchronized conveyor belts instead of the foregoing devices,which are all of the type having a plunge-r.

It has also be seen that several means can be contemplated for stoppingor actuating the distributing devices in a synchronized manner by meansof a simple abutment or with the aid of detecting and control devices.

If it is desired at a given moment of the experiment to modify thefeeding of one of the animals, it is possible to disconnect thecor-responding distributing device from the assembly.

It is possible, as in the previously-described manner of proceeding, toemploy such an apparatus for laboratory experiments, but it can also beemployed in the raising of domestic animals.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described, manymodifications and changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of the invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for the equivalent and synchronous feeding of at leasttwo animals, said apparatus comprising a plurality of separatecompartments each of which is adapted to receive one animal, eachcompartment having a food container, a distributing device associatedwith each food container for distributing aliments therein, and meansfor rendering all of said distributing devices inoperative so long asone of said food containers remains provided with aliments.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distributing devicecomprises means for guiding the aliments to the food container, aplunger movable in said guide means towards the cor-responding foodcontainer and a driving device for shifting said plunger towards saidfood container.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said guide means comprisebars which define a passageway and extend into the correspondingcompartment, transversely extending elements interconnecting the ends ofsaid bars in said compartment and constituting a grid, the distancebetween the bars and between the grid elements being smaller than thetransverse size of said aliments, said aliments being in a form suitablefor being fed along said bars into said food compartment by saidplunger.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said aliments are in theform of rigid doses, the ingredients of which are agglomerated.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said aliments areenclosed in rigid and destructible wrappings.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a common driving deviceactuates at least two plungers which are interconnected by a stay.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a separate driving deviceis provided for each plunger.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein two adjacent plungers areeach integral with a plate carrying rolling bearings in contact with atleast one guide rail, said plates being interconnected by fixing meansso as to constitute said stay.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said driving device isconnected to shift both plungers and is mounted on said stay andcomprises a spiral spring, a winch having a spindle rotatably mounted onsaid stay, a cable having one end connected to said winch and the otherend connected to said stay, a pulley held stationary relative to saidcompartments, said cable extending around said pulley, said spiralspring having an inner end fixed to said spindle and an outer end fixedto said stay, whereby shifting said plungers away from said foodcontainer winds up said spiral spring so that said spiral spring drivessaid plungers towards said compartments.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said driving devicecomprises a fixed electric motor, a lead screw connected to said motorto be driven thereby, a screwthreaded member integral with said plungerand screwthreadedly engaged on said lead-screw so as to be shifted bythe lead-screw towards said food container.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for renderingall the distributing devices inoperative so long as one of the foodcontainers contains aliments comprise said grid against which thealiments abut.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the driving device is anelectric motor and said means comprise a detecting and control deviceWhich is associated with each food container and is capable of detectingthe presence of aliments in said food container.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein each detecting devicecomprises a source emitting a beam of light across the correspondingfood container, a photosensitive cell located in the path of said beamof light on the other side of the food container relative to the source,and a relay controlled by said cell and arranged to be energized whensaid cell receives the beam of light so as to close a contact in thefeed circuit of the motor.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein each detecting devicecomprises a sensing element and a contact which is associated with to beactuated by said element and is placed in the feed circuit of theelectric motor, said sensing element and said contact being so arrangedthat the sensing element closes the contact when the corresponding foodcontainer is empty.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the 6 detecting andcontrol devices corresponding to the various food containers areconnected in series in the feed circuit of the motor.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a crumb collectorunder each food container, which collector communicates With a recoverytray.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,585,371 2/1952 Cofiing 119-5113X 2,766,906 10/1956 Bookout et al 221-92 2,979,229 4/ 1961 Reeder et a1221-22 3,030,483 4/1962 Rudolph et a1. 221-92 X 3,298,565 1/1967 Cease221-13 3,302,828 2/1967 Gomez et al 221-129 3,340,851 9/1967 Frank etal. 119-56 X 3,371,821 3/1968 Abood et a1. 221-93 ALDRICH F. MEDBERY,Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 119-5113; 221-129

